Russia used “Easter truce” to pull up reserves and equipment — CCD

This was stated by Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Ukrinform reports.

“This was the Russians’ intention — where the intensity of fighting decreased, they attempted to bring up reserves and equipment for future assault operations. As with the Anti-Terrorist Operation and the Minsk process, Russia is following the same tactics, using any announced pauses to prepare for further aggressive actions,” Kovalenko said.

He also emphasized that Russian diplomats are attempting to deceive the West by accusing Kyiv of violating the ceasefire.

“Since 2014, the Russian system and the Putin regime have consistently maintained the same approach to diplomacy. During the Minsk process, they sought to deceive the Europeans; now they are trying to deceive the American side,” added the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

Putin’s ‘Easter truce’

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared an "Easter truce" starting at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 19.

Leading up to 6:00 p.m., air raid alerts continued in Kyiv, and Russian drones were shot down over the capital’s Left Bank.

At 5:30 p.m., Russia launched a missile strike on Izyum in the Kharkiv region. Even after the announced start of the truce, Russian FPV drones continued hitting targets in the Kherson region.

After 9:00 p.m. on April 19, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief briefed President Zelenskyy with updated information from all frontline sectors regarding the implementation of Putin’s so-called “Easter truce.” At that time, it was reported that while some areas had quieted down, others remained active with ongoing hostilities.

As of the morning of Easter, April 20, the Russian army tried to create the overall impression of a ceasefire on the front but continued isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine.

Russian forces also used the "truce" on April 20 to prepare for renewed assaults in the area of responsibility of Ukraine's 66th Brigade named after Prince Mstyslav the Brave.